Disclaimer: The characters are Masashi Kishimoto's property, I own the OCs.

Characters age:

Akane: 18 (51)

Itachi: 18 (35)

Shisui: 21

Naruto / Sasuke: 13

Kakashi: 26

"So, you don't need an Hiraishin Marker in that state?" I nodded. Minato smiled proudly and patted me on the head. "I understand better how Fubuki used Explosive Seals in his snow as well now. It's impressive, and terrifying."

"It is still a kinjutsu. Seriously, when it comes to my Ice Release, I have as many kinjutsus as regular ones."

"It is very delicate to control nature Akane." I deadpanned at him.

"Trust me I know. It's like the first thing you learn in Kiri: you don't control the sea; you learn to work with it."

"It is wise."

"We are wiser than people give us credit for." I sat back down on my bed. He sat down next to me. "These past five years have been tough, but I'm still here and we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel so…it's good." He was thoughtful.

"I think we need to talk about those pictures." I gulped. "Naoto-san risked a lot by going back to Kiri and get them."

"I know. He…does that." I scratched the side of my nose. "Yagura told me he was friends with Mom and Dad and was supposed to be my godfather, or was, I dunno but…I asked Naoto about it and he said Fubuki used to call him 'nii-chan', that he saw us both as younger siblings and that he would not be able to face Fubuki when his time come if he didn't do everything in his power to protect me." I sighed and looked up at him. "It…you look constipated." He was making a weird face.

"They asked me to be your godfather." I shrugged.

"Well, I guess instead of having a godmother, I have two godfathers." He pursed his lips, clearly bitter at that. "Oh come on, he had the same reaction!"

"Really?"

"And then he said water wins over fire." His brow twitched. "More seriously, sorry you had to deal with this kind of things."

"It's not as if I was really surprised something like this happened." I raised a brow at how upset he looked. "I'm not happy about it, at all, but I'm not surprised. I'm more worried about the fact he decided to take pictures to break you in that way." I pursed my lips.

"Yeah, same. It's…new."

"I burned them all, of course, but I can't guarantee Naoto-san got all of them."

"I know." He put his hand on my shoulder. "I should have controlled myself. This whole situation is…"

"There were many other pictures that could have put you in a cell and led to this situation Akane, they went for the most humiliating one and tried to bring him down as well. For you or because I'm the Hokage, I don't know. However, it doesn't change anything about how I view you personally." I licked my lips.

"I've been called a whore and a slut for two months," I confessed quietly. I had not told anyone this. "Every single day, and there have been moments where I wondered if…they said I'd like what they'd do to me and they coul…" Minato hugged me.

"It's over now." He ran his fingers through my hair. "I'm not afraid to tell Kushina and let her go on a rampage on them." I chuckled weakly. "Now, we need to figure out how to take Kiri back and how much I can help. Konoha is still recovering from Orochimaru's attack and the relationship with Suna is tensed, less than with Iwa but still."

"Itachi told me about this. It's a mess." He nodded and I straightened up. "We need to tell Yagura about Rin and Tobi." He frowned. "He told me a little bit about Isobu and he does not seem to be the kind of bijuu who directly goes for violence. For all we knew, even Yagura knows something we don't about this." His eyes were distant for a second. "However, he has a right to know why thirteen years of his life were taken away from him and why he became the face of a bloody tyranny." He leaned on his thighs; his hands crossed together.

"You are right about this."

"And there's something else he has told me that is highly concerning." Minato glanced at me. "He assured me Dad was the one to free him." He widened his eyes in stupor.

"What? Ushio?" I nodded.

"I reacted the same way, but then he also used the Heal Bite on me after the seal messed me up and left me a scroll of the Yuki clan I had never seen before." I sighed. "I don't know what's his deal, but it is more than Tobi's. Hell, he might regret thinking my dad was a good addition."

"Ushio is a wild card, that is for sure, and a dangerous one at that."

"I feel a 'but' coming."

"But," he continued, stressing on the word. "I am not sure how much we can focus on him and his intentions for now. Shisui-kun is his partner, as long as he's here I hope we can avoid too much damage, even if I doubt he would start…"

"Start what? Killing people for fun?" I asked sarcastically. He turned sharp and serious eyes at me, which made me close my mouth immediately.

"For instance. No matter what you think, your father is a very smart and conniving man. There is more to his actions than what is let on."

"Right, then what was he planning to do to me that day, huh? Sacrifice me for some random deity or som…" I stopped. Minato raised a brow. "Wait, he knows I'm a Yuurei."

"What? How?"

"I don't know, but he was here just when I needed him to be, he knew how I was. If Mom knew about them, and if Mito told Aunty when she was a kid, then my grandmother knew, and had to have told Dad. Even Tsunade-san knew about it!" His eyes went to my stomach for a second. "You…What if Tobi discovered it?" He remained quiet. "Fu…"

"Language." I rolled my eyes. "It is worrisome, I'll give you that, but we can't think about it for now. Kiri has been your priority for the past five years, don't forget it."

"…what if he decides to show up?"

"We need to be ready, but there is something he will not expect." I blinked and he pointed at himself.

"Wait, seriously?"

"If I can talk to him and reach him, even just a little bit, it is a chance I have to take. Plus, he was my student. I failed and Kiri suffered for it. Konoha suffered for it."

"You're not responsible for how he reacted to her death."

"It doesn't matter, I feel guilty, and nothing will expiate that."

"…have you told Kakashi yet?" He sighed.

"I have no idea how to tell him. It took him time to process the Third Shinobi War, he is in a better place now, but I am afraid that bringing this up might…"

"You should have faith in him. He's an adult now, it's better for him to know now than to figure it out later when he's in front of him."

"Of course, but…it's not easy, that's all." I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from telling him it did not matter.

I loved Kakashi, he was my older brother and had been since I had met him, even if he was moody and didn't like me that much. I was well aware of his traumas, we had talked about it a few times after all, here or before. However, there were situations where the best thing to do was to pull the band-aid off without thinking about it.

He might as well have his own doubts as well anyway with the goggles and the tunnel we found back then.

"This is a map of the country," Zabuza stated, a map on the table.

Utakata and his master were there now as well. They were in the reception room, Shikaku standing directly in front of the swordsman. Itachi knew his sensei enough to know his brain was already coming up with strategies.

"We are currently here," he continued, circling a small dot in red. "From what Naoto reported, many criminals who were imprisoned here are now in Kiri and it is a shitshow. Kirigane seems to be leading the show, which is not a surprise with the amount of money he made out of the lower-class' misery."

The Mizukage's face was unreadable.

"However, as expected, the Hoshigaki clan is more than happy to police any resistance. Needless to say, there is not much. There are still members of the movement roaming the Land of Water as we speak, and some others are rotting in the cells of the water prison in the Anbu HQ."

"Water prison?" Kakashi inquired with a frown.

"The room is one big swimming-pool where sharks are released. The prisoners are kept in suspended cages above it, depending on the mood you can be waterboarded and see sharks from up close," Akane explained stiffly. "I don't recommend."

"Buri is the executioner of the village, but it would not be surprising if she were the one pulling the strings behind the scenes. God knows Kirigane only knows how to bark but not bite. They are the two to take down if we want to take the village back."

"However, we cannot rule out the possibility that the masked man might intervene himself or get people to intervene." Like the Akatsuki.

He had no idea Obito was behind the Bloody Mist before, but he had not seemed bothered by the fact the Sanbi was roaming free. Itachi remembered him and Deidara taking care of him after all, and they never received any order regarding the Hidden Mist.

"I will gladly give him a personalized greeting if he shows up," Yagura stated bitterly.

"If that is the case, then Akane, you'll go with him." Itachi tensed at that. "He seems to have a disturbing interest in you, maybe he would try to approach you in the midst of battle." The Uchiha glanced at Akane from the corner of her eyes. She merely nodded. "Once in the village, we would need to free our comrades so they could fight with us. Kiri's streets are now filled with criminals and people happy with the Bloody Mist Regime, we cannot let them be."

"When it comes to Konoha, we need to get the Daimyo's approval first," Zabuza continued, now looking at Shikaku. "If it becomes a military operation between our two countries, he needs to give his seal of approval."

"It shouldn't be complicated," Dai intervened. "Kiri is sowing chaos on the main island. They stayed out of Kiribukai for now, but it is only a question of time until they get rid of the Daimyo."

"We should be able to guarantee trade and help from our Daimyo," Shikaku stated firmly. "The Land of Water may have a bad reputation, but it is also considered quite exotic when it comes to goods. If the Land of Fire can have access to that, it would only be beneficial." He glanced at Minato, who so far had been quietly listening to them. "Plus, he has a huge respect for our Hokage." Minato glanced at Shikaku, slightly annoyed at the obvious teasing. "The Daimyo should agree, and I doubt your Daimyo would turn down help from the Land of Fire to rebuild and stop the madness Kiri is right now."

"Uryuu-sama is as sick of the system as we are," Akane stated flatly.

"I will go see him," Yagura stated. "If anything, he deserves to know what has been happening to Kiri. Mei, you'll be with me." She was taken back but nodded anyway. "We won't make a move against Kiri until the Daimyos have both agreed." He looked at Minato. "It will also give you time to figure out how many shinobi you can spare us."

"Itachi will stay until the end of it. Consider him one of your own for now." Itachi was not surprised by this in the slightest. "I will try to handle everything as quickly as possible."

"Thank you." It was weird to see the Mizukage so human.

"Until then, we will gather our comrades," Mei stated firmly.

The Hokage, Shikaku and Kakashi left in the hour, Mangetsu volunteering to go with them and make sure they reached the continent. Teams were made and he was still with Akane, with no surprise. He was not complaining, he wanted to stay with her anyway. However, when they were in their room, she sat down on her bed in the middle of packing.

"Can I make a request?" He raised a brow. "Do you remember the island we were on during the Chuunin Exams? Juhyou Island?" He nodded. "I'd like to go there."

"I'm going to follow you Akane," he reminded him flatly. "But can I know why?"

"The scroll my father left, or he left it somewhere before my brother died, or he got it from the Yuki shrine there is on the island. In any case, he does not have an Ice Release so it is weird. Plus…he was the one who freed Yagura." She had not told him that. "Yeah I know, be mad at me for not telling you if you want, I don't really care. My dad came back to his hometown and kind of helped us, and I'm worried he might get Shisui involved in too much shit."

"Hn."

Who knew what Shisui had done. Akane seemed to think she could get him back from the Akatsuki, but he was not so sure. Before, even without the Uchihas' massacre, he had to do things for the Akatsuki that would have made him an enemy of Konoha anyway.

"What have you talked about with the Hokage and Mizukage?" She blinked.

"Why he was manipulated, by who and how I knew so much. I unblocked the connection between Yagura and Isobu, Isobu felt I was a Yuurei like Saiken did." He furrowed his brows. She sighed. "The Sanbi is called Isobu and the Rokubi is called Saiken, I thought you knew." They had names then? He wasn't really surprised, nor was he surprised they had been forgotten.

"Hn." She pursed her lips.

"Are you…mad at me?" He raised a brow at her. "It's just…I mean, it's your right you know but…there's being distant and there's being cold and for the past few days…" He sighed.

"You made your priority clear in Sora-ku Akane, I'm just trying to comply." She looked at her feet.

He didn't want a reiteration of the pictures either and was keeping to himself more, which could be seen as coldness.

"I am not mad at you," he added. He walked up to her and poked her on the forehead. "Personal feelings cannot be important for now." She nodded.

"Of course." She looked up at him. "It's just that no matter how we end up, I don't want bad blood between us." He pursed his lips and was tempted to cup her cheek. He removed his hand instead.

"It will not get to that," he assured her with a small smile. She brightened up in relief.

"Good."

The next day, they departed.

"This Obito targeted Kiri and I…for revenge," Yagura summed up with a conflicted look on his face. He put his hand on his stomach. "And you know all of that because you're…a Yuurei or something?"

"Yes, I know it sounds crazy but…"

"Isobu knows about it." I was taken back. "Apparently, before the First Hokage captured him, he would sometimes roam the sea and reach the Land of Eddie, there were rare fishes there or something. Anyway, he has told me it was very real and that your chakra felt different, like a jinchuriki but not really." I pursed my lips and nodded. "It means despite being a kunoichi from the Leaf here…you were first a kunoichi under my orders." I nodded.

"Even today, I can't shake that off. Those two years still define me. When I discovered everything…I didn't know how to feel to be honest."

"I died." I exchanged a look with Minato, who nodded.

"I don't know when exactly, or in which circumstances but when I was twenty-one or twenty-two, the Akatsuki caught Isobu. However, he no longer had a jinchurki and was not even in the Land of Water anymore." He clenched his jaw. "However, I do know that my cousin's generation, minus himself, were promoted chuunin at age fifteen and Mei-sensei had been in office for a few weeks at best, so…a year and a half from now."

"Hokage-sama." Minato looked at him. "May I request a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Would you agree with Princess Tsunade examining me?" I blinked. "The genjutsu was deep, and long. Even if it is broken, there could be something wrong with me."

"Do you feel wrong or something?" Yagura averted his eyes.

"I can't say. I do feel…different than before, but I can't say what it is. From what you are telling, it is only a question of time until they try to get Isobu anyway, and I won't survive the extraction."

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves Miz…" Minato tried, and Yagura shook his head.

"Apart from the Uzumakis, not many people can cheat death. I am not one of them, I know that. I know I am only an obstacle in his plan as well." He looked up at us. "The only thing I can do for sure is become a very annoying and stubborn one."

"We're approaching." I was broken out of my thoughts by Itachi. I could see mist coming out of his mouth and he tightened his cloak around himself. I had changed to my winter kunoichi outfit but also had a furred cloak. "Is it the same direction as last time?"

"I don't know." He glanced at me. "I don't know where it is exactly."

"Akane," he said, almost scolding me.

"It's fine, there's snow everywhere, I'll figure it out."

"Hn."

I knew breaking it off with Itachi was the right thing to do, the logical thing to do. I didn't enjoy it and he…was colder now. I couldn't blame him and didn't even feel legitimate in being hurt by this. However, something changed when we were on the island with the others, I wanted to know what it was but…well, I doubted I was…

I had broken things off with him, he had not tried to make a move on me and respected my decision. I couldn't try to act like a concerned girlfriend now, or even just a friend. I had no idea if I'd ever be able to just be friends with him again.

When we set foot on the ground, the snow made a crunchy sound beneath the sole of my shoes. I loved that sound, or the snow covering the ground and trees, untouched by men. Frost and stalactites were on the trees.

"It seems better than last time."

"Time went by since the Purges here; it's been almost a decade. Nature is getting her rights back." I raised a finger in front of me. "We might see polar bears, pinguins and seals on the northern part of the island where the tundra stops, and the sea ice starts. There are whales there as well, then you have artic foxes, reinders…we're lucky, between the end of December and February, it's polar nights, and midnight suns from mid-June to August, we escaped those. They're very pretty, and you have beautiful northern lights bu…" I stopped myself from rambling. "Sorry." He was smiling faintly.

"Do you feel better here?" I raised a brow.

"It's the place I feel the best in the country physically, for sure, but even I can freeze to death. I'm a quarter Yuki only, I wouldn't be able to live here all year long. I just think it's a very beautiful place however, they had the decency to spare the local fauna during their slaughter."

We reached the village. Instead of following the direction for the main island, we went north. I started to expand my sensing range as much as possible when we left the ruins of the village. The island was about the size of the Land of Eddie, we could go through it in half a day at shinobi speed, but we were walking for now.

I always felt more alive than ever in polar environments, winters, snow, the cold in general. I was no doctor, but I wouldn't be surprised if my blood was running through my body better too, my chakra was absorbing the cold and regulated it on its own up to a certain degree unlike other people.

When night started to settle, I turned to look at Itachi and widened my eyes in shock. I was fine in this weather, but he looked like he was freezing!

"Why haven't you said anything!?" He just blew in his hands, clearly shivering. "Dude!"

"Don't…call me that…" he somehow managed to say.

"Fine, stupid." I removed my cloak and wrapped it around him. "When we find a shelter, you're in for the scolding of your life." I made four shadow clones. "Find a cabin, put a marker and dissolve." They all left, and I summoned Seihitsu. "Seihitsu, carry him."

"I'm fin…" Seihitsu put his nose against his abdomen and threw him on his back.

"You are in no condition to use your chakra to keep yourself warm Itachi-san." I blinked when Itachi kept his face against Seihitsu's fur. I walked up to him and pulled on his ear.

"It hurts…"

"Don't fall asleep!" I looked up when it started snowing. "Okay, I get it, the place is fun only for me."

We found a cabin a dozen of minutes later thanks to one of my clones. I teleported us there and was relieved to see a wooden cabin, above the ground thanks to pillars. I climbed up the short stairs and opened the door, forcing a little. I looked around and cursed to myself. Juhyou Island was abandoned, no one came on it that much except for shinobi sometimes. Of course, the one cabin there was for travelers would not be well-kept. It was dusty, with spiderwebs at the corners of the room, what looked to be damp wood in the fireplace.

"Seihitsu, get in." I shut the door behind us.

I unsealed a dry blanket from my mission scroll, put it on the floor and helped my wolf friend put Itachi on it.

"Soaked," he muttered, removing my cloak. Indeed, his Konoha cloak was not enough for the weather.

"You're fine with me undressing you I hope." He shot me a knowing look through his dark, long lashes.

I did, finding a chair to put his clothes on it. My cloak was not long enough to cover his feet. Seihitsu saw my dilemma, lay down next to Itachi and used his tail to cover them. I scratched him between his ears.

"You're the best partner I could ask for," I told him, kissing him on the nose. "Itachi, Seihitsu is the best cuddle partner ever, cuddle him." He glanced at me sternly, but it was not believable, and I put him closer to Seihitsu, making sure he was in contact with his fur.

I went to the fireplace and touched the wood. It was damp. I checked the wood next to it. It was better. I grabbed some wood, put it next to me and made a few hand signs.

"Suiton: Water Absorption Technique." I put my hand on the wood and moved it back, taking the water from it. It was not much, but it was too much to make a fire quickly.

I put it in the water storage of the cabin and went back to the fireplace. I put rearranged the wood and used a small Explosive Seal to light the fire. It took a few minutes before it was good to stay on its own, but I was relieved. It was still freezing in the cabin. I tried to limit the heat from leaving the cabin and checked the water storage. There was nothing but…there was a seal above the tap. I activated it and felt my chakra being drained and water started to go in the storage. It was a conversion seal then…but it was not well adjusted, it was taking too much chakra for what was happening.

Once it was filled, I put the lid back on and checked the bathroom. There was a wooden bathtub that could fit only one person, their knees against their chest, a small washing area, a sink and toilets. I turned on the tap of the sink and nodded to myself when water ran from it.

I went back to Itachi, checking the fire quickly.

"Hey, you dead yet?" He groaned something, but it was muffled by Seihitsu's fur. "Talkative for a dead man." He raised his head a little, his eyes still closed.

"You're…not funny."

"Ha, I make myself laugh, it's what matters. Seihitsu, stay with him, keep your nose on his chakra. I'm going to go flower hunting." It made Itachi open his eyes. "There are many flowers growing here for different purposes, including one to fight hypothermia and such."

"You're…throwing this word…around a lot…"

"Well, it must be like -20°c outside Itachi, you were very close." He had the strength to roll his eyes.

"It's dark outside."

"I'll be fine, just focus on warming up." He tried to get up, but Seihitsu used his paw to keep him down. The Uchiha glared at him, then me. I made a shadow clone. "Here, happy now?"

"N…no…"

"Too bad." I glanced at my wolf. "I trust you." On that note, I left, taking Itachi wet cloak with me.

I was looking for an Onnetsu Flower, a flower widespread and common here. Despite the snow getting heavier and harsher, I found the flower half an hour later. In daytime they were easy to spot with the orangey color of the stem and leaves. The flower itself had red petals with a purple center.

I used the Hiraishin to go back to the cabin. My clone disappeared, showing me Itachi had not moved while I was away. I quickly washed a cooking pot, put water in it and put it on the fire. I unsealed a cutting board and started cutting the petals of the flower in tiny pieces. I put them in the water, then scraped the heart of the flower directly in the mixture. The stem was poisonous, so I put it aside. When it was done, I put it in a bowl and went back to Itachi.

"Come on," I said, helping him to sit. I sat half behind him so he could lean on me.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." I put the fuming bowl on his lap. "It should warm you up from inside for at least six hours. You should be warmed up by then, at least enough to no longer be in danger."

"Hn."

"…at least I think, it shouldn't interact with your chakra so it should be safe…"

"I'm sure it is." I watched his Adam apple moving as he swallowed quietly, his hands warming up on the bowl. That…hum, damn it Akane, control yourself. "You're cold."

"Huh?"

"And wet." I blinked. Indeed, I was, the snow on me had melted as I prepared Itachi's beverage.

"Shit. Can you stand on your own?" He nodded. I rummaged through the cupboards and found a blanket, or tablecloth, I was sure. Anyway, I went to the bathroom to remove my clothes, and shoes. I even changed my bodysuit, putting the sleeveless one instead of the long-sleeved, winter one.

I had been so focused on that flower I had not noticed the snow was so bad that I was soaked. I wrapped the tablecloth around my waist to make a long skirt, took my clothes and went back to the main room. I did my best to hang them on a chair and did the same with Itachi's before putting them in front of the fire. They might smell like smoke, but they would be dry.

I went through the rations I had and found some instant noodles. I made some for myself, then for Itachi who had drunk his beverage.

I ate quietly, sitting in front of the fire. There was a poof in my back, signaling Seihitsu had left, and Itachi moved to sit next to me.

"Do we agree it seems like the heat is leaving the place a little bit too easily?" He nodded. "It's snowing hard outside too."

"Hn." I glanced at him as he slurped his noodles. I just…stared at him. The flames were highlighting his facial features, the onyx color of his eyes deeper, but I could also discern the pupil better from the iris. His nose was straight and defined, his lips not too big nor too thin and also defined, his jaw was…

Defined. Itachi was the human version of a sculpted statue: every feature, his face or his body, seemed to have been carefully carved to make him beautiful, distinguished, elegant yet manly at the same time. The lines on his face looked less pronounced than they once were on the road, but they were still here. I remembered running my finger on them before. Itachi would glance at me for a couple of seconds before relaxing and closing his eyes to rest.

"Akane." I jumped and blushed a little. Itachi was not looking at me. "Can you untie my hair for me please?"

"…come again?"

"You've gotten me in my boxers already." I blushed more.

"Well you…you…argh!" I removed his hair tie and put it on the chair with his clothes. He shook his head, locks of raven hair now in his eyes. He smoothed them back casually and yawned.

I had to force myself to look away. Itachi was handsome and I could spend hours just looking at him. The second his hair was loose; it was even harder to…

I felt special. He didn't let his hair loose around just anyone, it was intimate, and I felt special. Plus, Itachi with his hair tied was serious, down to business Itachi. With his hair loose…he was relaxed…down to my business Itachi, he was just…hot, sexy, sensual, lustful, all of this wrapped into one.

He broke me out of my thoughts by pulling on my hair weakly.

"I was asking you if you thought we could leave tomorrow."

"Huh…oh, right, I can't say." He sighed. "Sensei gave us ways to contact each other, and it should take at least two weeks since Minato-san left before we have news so…anyway, it shouldn't be too…bad, I guess. I do have some markers on the other islands if we need them."

"Let's not waste your chakra like this, the Hiraishin consumes a lot of it." I shrugged.

"I have a lot of it. Now if I use it on myself fifteen times in a row and more, I start to get dizzy, and I can't use it on the same distance as Minato-san yet, but I'll get there."

"How far currently?"

"Hum…Land of Fire, around Konoha." He pursed his lips and shivered. "You're still cold?" He nodded. "Shit."

"There's something we haven't tried." I blinked. "You get inside the cloak with me." I blushed a little. "What, body heat is useful for that." How could he say that with a straight face when… "I almost froze to death because I followed you."

"Are you guilt-tripping me?"

"Is it working?" I pursed my lips. He sighed. "Sorry, I should have told you the moment I started manually keeping my temperature up."

"You should have," I agreed quietly. However, I did untie my skirt and slipped in the cloak with him. Basically, we started cuddling but even to me, his skin was still cold. "You are cold."

"Hn." His arms were tight around me, his cheek on my head.

We stayed like this for a few minutes. I could feel him getting warmer and warmer.

"Have you ever gone back?"

"Hum?"

"The Land of Water, Kiri, have you ever gone back before?" I pursed my lips.

"I have. I thought I was in another reality." I settled more comfortably against him, briefly leaning on his naked thigh. "After the war…the five nations stayed at peace with each other, and Kiri was thrown into a new era. Kakashi modernized Konoha a lot, yet Kiri…was more modern. It became a huge touristic attraction."

"What?"

"My reaction when I visited with Naruto." Let's not mention the twins with me. "It was…so strange. It made me realize the Bloody Mist truly was gone…even if a bunch of brats tried to bring it back and called themselves 'Swordsmen'. Urgh, I'm pretty sure the Hoshigaki brat with Samehada was Buri's brat." Itachi swiftly turned on his left, his legs now on each side of me as I was leaning against his chest.

Seriously, Naruto asking me to play chaperone for Boruto's school trip when my two kids were chuunin and jounin was so out of the blue. I ended up seeing Suigetsu, Orochimaru's kid was weird, and I was way too disappointed when the kids dealt with these punks.

They almost shat their pants when I told them I used to be known as the Frozen Shinigami and would gladly give them a taste of Bloody Mist treatment if they wanted it back so damn much.

"I have been there a few times," I summed up.

"I hope Konoha did not get 'too' modern." I pursed my lips.

"There were tall towers above the rock faces." He groaned slightly. "The Thunder Rails are good though."

"Trains?" he asked suspiciously. "I heard they were only in the Land of Snow."

"And here." I moved back a little so I could look at him. "We have…connections with the Land of Snow, and with the Land of Water being an autocracy ninety-nine percent of the time, trains started to appear a decade ago, but it is mainly to transport goods between Kiribukai and Kiri. I know it looks like we grow things easily here, but maybe twenty-five percent of it is consumable."

"The Purges?" I nodded.

"A lot of blood was soaked in the ground. There's a place near Kiri that has seen so much bloodshed that they have grown Blood Rice." He raised a brow. "Tastes like rice really, but filled with iron and red. Knowing us, it's the hospital go-to when we need to replenish our blood."

"…We know very little about the Land of Water." I mused over this.

"You know, there's a saying in Kiri: 'Those who live within the mist never truly know what is lurking in the mist'." I sighed. "Still better than Konoha." He frowned a little. "Sorry, it's not…Konoha has many skeletons in its closets and it's not for me. Kiri display them, you know what to expect, but with Konoha and its reputation of goody two-shoes, you end up feeling betrayed. I mean, you were called a 'Konoha-softy', weren't you?"

"It doesn't feel nice."

"Oh yeah, normal. We, well they here, think Konoha became a weakling after the Kyuubi attack and the Fourth's death…oh wait, not anymore, I guess?" I took my chin between two fingers. "I get the timelines mixed up a lot nowadays."

"Hn." I raised my head and was taken back by how close we were from each other. I blushed again. "You're the devil."

"I beg your pardon?" His fingers grazed my jaw.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is not to touch you Akane?" A shiver ran up my spine.

"You…didn't look too aff…"

"I hide it." I pursed my lips and put my hands on his shoulders.

"Do you resent me?" His conflicted eyes darted between my eyes and lips.

"No." Maybe he should. "I know your reasons."

I kissed him on the lips. He returned it after a few seconds, his warm hands cupping my face to keep me where I was. It became steamy quickly, Itachi slipping his hands behind my knees to make me straddle him. I could feel the hard bulge in his underwear, but I was no better. I hold onto his shoulders, kissing him and moaning when our tongues caressed each other.

God, I was hot, so, so hot right now. Itachi's hand went to my butt to squeeze it and I grinded on him in return, making him hiss in the kiss.

It broke me out of it, and I broke the kiss, my eyes wide open. Itachi opened his and sobered up when he saw my face.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked me worriedly, the coldness of the past few days gone.

"I can't keep doing this to you." He raised a confused brow. "I can't…I can't tell you we're not going to be together and then get hot and steamy, then back to…I'm awful. I'm an awful person to you." He cupped my cheeks immediately and kissed my face.

"You're not, I know…even in my situation, I'm fully aware this is not the smartest thing to do." I pursed my lips and looked down when he sighed. "I know you're in a complicated situation as well and I am bringing personal issues into the mix for you, I know that…I've been trying to stay away since Sora-ku, I really tried."

"You were doing great, I ruined it," I muttered guiltily.

"No, the second you start taking care of me I'm done for Akane." My heart missed a beat, and he leaned his forehead against mine. "Fuck, you've always been so intoxicating to me, and I can never get enough of you." I was beet red.

Itachi rarely swore and rarely…was honest in this way.

I moved my hips, grinding my pulsing core against his boner. He hissed against me and kissed me again. And again, and again, his fingers fondling my butt beneath my bodysuit and panties. My hands went down his chest as I sucked on the angle of his jaw. I could see specks of red on his pale cheeks. I licked his neck, my tongue teasing his skin by drawing spirals on it as I went down to leave love bites.

I yelped when he gave me a small spank and we both stopped.

It was not as if in three years together we had not been adventurous, or even in the month we banged half of the time.

"Did I go too far?" he asked me in a whisper.

"…I liked it?" He moaned against my neck.

"Ride me." I pushed on his chest to make him lay on his back. He unzipped my bodysuit before, and I opened it enough to show my breasts. I was too turned-on for foreplay, so I moved my bodysuit and panties aside before freeing his cock. Pre-cum was already on the tip. I was about to get on it but stopped.

"You'll tell me if you're not okay, right?" He pursed his lips, his hands clenched on my hips.

"Yeah, sure, now…" He moaned, like me, when I was on his cock. "You feel so good."

I started rolling my hips back and forth on him, my hands running on his chiseled chest. His hands were on my thighs, then my butt, fondling my breasts, his thumb was on my lips…They didn't know where to settle.

He spanked me again. I moaned and leaned my hands on each side of his face, speeding up my pace as my hips were going up and down on him. I was quickly leaning on my forearms, kissing Itachi sloppily as he had decided to put his hands on my hips to move his hips as well.

It was hot and messy, but I came around him, squeezing him tightly. He didn't however. Instead, he sat up, his hands running on my spine before getting my arms out of my bodysuit. Then he pushed me down and pulled out, getting rid of the little clothes I had and the one he had. He gently took my hand and guided it to his cock. He came after a couple of strokes, aiming my stomach.

"I thought you loved cumming inside?"

"I do, but you look ravishing covered in it as well." I curled my toes as he leaned toward my face, nuzzling his nose against mine. "Now, where were we?"

"You pound into me and make me moan your name," I whispered hotly against him, wrapping my legs against his waist. He hummed, his fingers running up my thigh.

"Good answer." He thrusted into me, and I threw my head back.

Itachi straightened up and grabbed my legs, keeping one on his shoulder as he pounded into me relentlessly. I was a moaning mess, begging him for more and to go harder. His name had become pleas for more as my pleasure was growing, and growing…

I felt a tear run down my cheek when he started to rub my overstimulated clit. It was…it was too much…His grip on my legs would leave red fingerprints because the rougher his pounding was getting, the tighter his grasp was. He had thrown his head back as well, lost in pleasure as moans and groans were coming from his mouth. Sweat was on his chest, glistening with the dim light of the fire. I wanted to lick him, but I knew that when he was close to pulling out, I was aching to have his cock fill me again.

I really couldn't care less about anything but Itachi fucking me right, so, so perfectly right and out of my mind right now.

"Oh God!" I moaned loudly, arching my back as I came again, Itachi cumming a second after inside of me.

"A..kane…" he groaned, collapsing on top of me when he let go of my legs.

We didn't move for a few minutes. My throat was awfully dry now, like my lips. Itachi was getting his breathing under control slowly.

I bit my bottom lip and hugged him, my hand buried in his hair at the back of his head. I softly stroke his long locks and he sighed against me as he relaxed.

"'tachi…"

"Hum…"

"You're still hard."

"A few minutes please," he whispered in my ear. I kissed his ear sloppily. "Let's stay like this for a few more minutes." We did.

Then he made sweet, sensual love to me in front of the fire. It was gentle and soft, his go-to and he kept my thigh raised against his hip as he was thrusting deep and strong inside of me. He was not rough but firm, almost pulling out before thrusting in until his hips were locked to mine. We didn't stop kissing either, my hands on his shoulder and chest.

Itachi woke up to the first beams of the sun outside. Akane was sleeping against him, her leg on his hip. He was still buried deep inside of her, her cloak and the tablecloth she had found having become their blanket for the night. The fire had long died as they slept.

He kissed her hair lovingly. He had kept to himself for a while but…his barriers were not strong against her, at all. One smile or an interested look and they would collapse. Yet he knew hooking up was not the best.

It was not fair that something that felt so right could not happen. His eyes caught a glimpse of something shining above them. On his chair was his forehead protector. On hers was her forehead protector. They displayed a different symbol, almost taunting him and reminding him that it was temporary.

It always was temporary in the end.

Without disrupting her, he put the forehead protectors on the metal part, hiding Kiri and Konoha. He lay back down and hugged his love tightly, burying his face in her soft hair.

There was nothing wrong with their love. Nothing at all. They were not hurting anyone, Obito had taken these cursed pictures, but their love was not…

It was not…

Itachi screwed his eyes shut.

He would repeat their love was not hurting anyone in his mind like a mantra until it was true. It was not fair that even with his family alive, he still could not get his own personal happiness.

In a corner of his mind, he wondered if Akane would be mad at him if, after Kiri, he kidnapped her and took her to the cabin she, they, lived in before and resumed their life together.

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Bye!